Sonia Mendez Garcia's Blog (352)

As a kid, I would venture into the kitchen and hang out with my Mom as she prepared family meals. She would give me a few easy jobs, like shredding cheese for enchiladas or washing vegetables. Sometimes there were ingredients that I did not recognize and I would always ask, "Que es eso?"..."What is that?" And what…

On most Fridays, I spend the entire day cooking dishes that will be shared with friends. But on most nights it's just dinner for two. For years I had the most difficult time downsizing my portions when I would prepare a meal. I came from a family of 10, so I would cook for 10! I think I finally figured it out after…

It seems that cupcakes and muffins have gained in popularity these past 5 years. I remember as a teen, when my oldest sister Chris was pregnant with her second child, she used to crave these fresh glazed donuts from the local market. She knew exactly what time the donuts were made and she was there at least a couple…

During the month of May, I have been working with quite a few pork recipes. Most of them were Mexican dishes. So when I found myself with 2 pounds of of cooked pork carnitas leftover, I decided to transform it into something totally different. Both Richard and I love barbeque sandwiches and…

My Richard is a big fan of coleslaw. We have been to countless restaurants and cookouts in the past where we have tried all kinds of slaw. We like most of them, but they were not that memorable. My only real experience with coleslaw was as a kid. On our trips back from Mexico, my Dad would…

For Cinco de Mayo, I taught a Mexican cooking class at my friend Sue's kitchen store. I showed up early so that we could get some prepping done ahead of time. After a few hours, I could not ignore how hungry I was. I figured I am at a kitchen store, where they teach cooking classes all of…

I love Sundays because it's the one day out of the week that I take the time to cook a real breakfast. It usually consists of one of my many favorite dishes which is "Migas Con Huevo". Migas are cut or torn pieces of corn tortilla, lightly fried until crispy, mixed with eggs, peppers, onions…

Do you remember those fruit filled pies made by "Dolly Madison" or "Hostess"? As a child, I remember my Mom would shop at the Hostess-Dolly Madison outlet store once every two months. She'd come home with a bag full of treats like Ding-Dongs, Twinkies, crumb cakes and those fruit pies that…

This is another family recipe shared with me by my prima Ofelia Lopez. Her Mom, my tía Velia, had 12 kids all…

I know this may not be for everybody, cooking in manteca (lard) ... but this is how it is done. Had to try it at least once and share the recipe to keep the traditions going that I learned from my parents... If you can enjoy chicken wings by the dozens, then…

Did I mention that my husband loves seafood?? A lot!! Thank goodness for that. This was my first successfully seared scallops, and as Richard would say, "It's Soooo Good"! Every now and then it's nice to prepare special dishes for ourselves and not only when we are having friends over. I…

First thing I want to say, is that I cannot take full credit for creating this recipe. I am a big fan of Chef Marcela from "Mexican Made Easy" on Food Network. She asked all of her followers to create one of her dishes for a picture contest and as I looked through her cookbook, this recipe…

When I was teaching cooking classes, the students would often ask for a recipe for "Ranchero Sauce." I honestly was unfamiliar with such a thing. I knew of making salsa or enchilada sauce, but not this sauce. After reading many recipes and watching many, many hours of food TV, this…

Sometimes I just get a craving for a spicy salsa! I am always cooking for friends and have to cut way back on the heat level of the salsas I prepare for them. So on this day, it was all about what I liked, LOL! I just absolutely love the flavor of habanero peppers in a salsa. For me…

My Friday cooking session included "Arroz Con Pollo," a chicken and rice dish that is good to prepare when sharing with friends. And just to make it a little more tasty, why not add a little Mexican chorizo??? For me, chorizo is what bacon is to most people, tasty -- and it just…

Much to my surprise, I received a big box from some of my foodie friends out in California last Saturday and was so happy when I discovered what was inside! Filled with fresh produce from one of my favorite markets, "La Superior", out in California. Fresh cactus paddles, chickpeas,…

I just can't get enough shrimp these days!! Shrimp has become one of my "Easy to cook" ingredients for lunch or dinner. Because I do not live in an area where fresh seafood is abundant, I have to rely on the frozen varieties available to me. So far I have been very happy with the brand at my…

I could always tell when it's close to "Cinco de Mayo" because everyone gets excited about Mexican food! When I was in grade school in California, I remember how we used to get that day off from school. I never knew what it was all about as a kid, but as an…

The history of the Tlalpeño soup says that in Mexico in the early 1900’s in the village of Tlalpan there were tram stops where food was sold. Among the sellers there was a lady who prepared her own chicken broth recipe.…

A trip down memory lane to honor our mothers, sisters and all of the strong women that have influenced us through out our lives. From today until Mother's Day, with the help of my friends and familia, I wanted to share some of the recipes we grew up with. This is one of many recipes that my…